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INSIDE THE BOY BRAIN! =) Loving the Tsar

Christina Casey | Silverlake, CA United States | 07/30/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Tsar! Buy it and listen. Return to rock. Listen to the symphonies of So CAL beaches, occult choirs, starry mirages of tangled constellations, the harps of a few boys crazed imaginations. These leaders/saviors of Post-modern Youth, both innocent and raging, re-pave and break apart the crashing plains of their very own Creations, tumultuous worlds! Of chaos and life! God and Satan at battle in a disc of colors spinning just above the head! Without this album many bands to come would not be allowed to explore the forgotten pathologies of a larger people, a pathology of love enforcement, grace through destruction, hypnotic surges, monstrosity and technology. The fantasies these boys cultivate DO INDEED contain that mysterious power which is precisely FREEDOM'S, GOD'S and AMERICA'S - a mysterious power which gives THE KIDS a new direction, a light and a sound forever exciting to the flesh of the heart. (! )"

Earnest power pop in a pretty package

none12345 | Seattle, WA USA | 08/03/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Tsar will launch 10,000 bands? I doubt it. But never before has a derivative band wrapped so many perfect Bowie and Replacements and even Stones-esque sounds into such a singularly pretty package. Thank god, the sum total of these influences somehow doesn't lend Tsar a tired post-modern, ironic, borrowed sound at all -- rather, this is earnest, honest, and forthright rock from a band that seems to mean every note it plays and every word it sings. This is courageous stuff in today's music circus, full of "safe" and bashful sounds hiding behind a curtain of irony and distance, and I pray this isn't the last we'll hear from Tsar. I hope the band will continue to live up to its glorious debut, which will remain at the top of my music heap for many years to come, and their coming success doesn't go to their heads. That would be a shame: the world needs a tsar."

Can We Say 'Awesome New Music'!

Sunny C. | Southeastern, CT. USA | 12/10/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Being the classic rock fan that I am, I am often reluctant to open up my ears to newer, modern music. Until recently my CD collection consisted mainly of Queen, Boston, Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, etc. But this revelation of Tsar brought me to terms with what could possibly be a new era in music. I'm not sure if that even made sense, but hear me out anyway. .... I was given a band name and a small picture of the lead singer by a friend and I was determined to find out what they were all about. Boy am I glad I did. I was surprised to find that this quartet from Hollywood, California that started off on tour with Duran Duran, was actually worth listening to. My skeptical attitude has been formed over years of listening to countless bands that have never caused me to do anything but yawn and change the radio station. I have never been more happy and hopeful for a band than for Tsar. My synopsis of the album is that it is one filled with energetic, high power tunes, with an inspirational 'rock on and rock hard' message. The opening track "Calling All Destroyers" is a call to arms against whatever makes the youth of America so angry and bored. I must say that it is one of my favorites on the album. The second track "I Don't Wanna Break-Up" is a frustrated, and questioning tune about a guy who wants to work things out in a troubled relationship. Other tracks like "Kathy Fong Is The Bomb" and "The Teen Wizards" are filled with energy and addictively catchy tunes that cause inevitable subconscious foot tapping or at least an amused chuckle. The two more ballady tracks on the album, "Ordinary Gurl" and "The Girl Who Wouldn't Die" have more of a melancholy sound, and "The Girl Who Wouldn't Die" seems almost nostalgic. I highly recommend this album to anyone who enjoys the happier, less serious side of rock. This music is definitely a picker upper and has totally changed my attitude about new bands. In the future, I will definitely be more open to a new band just coming on the scene. ...."